


Runaway

by captainjamba



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst, F/M, THROUGH THE MOON SPOILERS, god this angst is getting to me, ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:33:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27004369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/captainjamba/pseuds/captainjamba
Summary: *Set after the events of Through the Moon. Spoilers ahead.*The night that she leaves, Rayla runs into someone she does not expect.
Relationships: Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 52





	Runaway

**Author's Note:**

> Again, spoilers ahead for Through The Moon.
> 
> Also, angst.

In the aftermath of the portal, in the quiet of the night, Rayla huddles together with Callum. She presses an ear to his chest and counts how many of her breaths mingle with his. She listens to the steady beating of his heart and tries to ignore the way hers aches in comparison.

The warmth of his embrace, the way he kissed away her tears, the way he holds her, how he refuses to let go even while he sleeps – after everything they’ve been through, how can she just leave?

But she looks up at his sleeping face and she _knows_.

She can’t risk losing him. She can’t lose anyone else.

The nightmares come even when she’s awake. Viren lurks in the dark corners and the shadowy recesses of her mind. She sees him more clearly with each visage, and something different about him disturbs her every time – the hollow of his eyes, the taunt in his words, the malice in his sneer.

In the daylight, she’s always tense and struggles against her own breathing, and it is only the weight of Callum’s hand and the press of his lips that pull her back to reality.

Still, she can't shake the nightmares away.

She’s chasing danger. She knows that. She’s risking everything she’s lucky to have even found - she knows that, too.

She’s also risking losing him for good.

Rayla cups Callum’s face and her breath _trembles_. She would gladly give her life if it meant she could save his.

Tears prick at her eyes but she refuses to let them fall.

Her shoulders shake regardless.

* * *

Rayla waits until the moon is at its highest in the sky.

He doesn’t wake when she reluctantly untangles herself from his embrace. His hand slides across her skin as she slips out of bed, and in a tense moment of weakness she is tempted to just stay in the warm comfort of his arms. She wishes, for once, that she doesn’t have to do what’s right - if she’s even doing the right thing at all.

But his hand falls away as she stands and she steels herself. She grabs her cloak, takes a deep breath, and heads for the door. She’s reaching for the knob when Callum stirs. She freezes, but his steady breathing soon returns and she lets out a breath.

Shaking her head, Rayla pads back to him. He’s too exhausted and too spent. All he’d wanted to do last night was just be with her.

She understands. She feels the same, but something else is driving her now. They’ve only been together for a month and she’s only known him for two, but it feels like he’s been by her side for all her life.

She presses one last kiss to his forehead and, for a heartbeat, the world melts away and she longs to return to the safety of his arms.

But something gnaws at her again and the anguish returns, too painful and too demanding to be ignored any longer. This is how it has to be. It’s the only way. She takes another breath, and she almost whispers that she wants him to come. 

Instead, she murmurs Lujanne’s words, and then she’s gone.

* * *

She slips out of their dwelling like a thief in the night.

The cold bites at her skin as the door clicks shut behind her. She pauses, listening for any movement from inside the abode, and hears nothing. All is still, only that the shadows grow deeper and darker under the waning full moon. Letting out another breath, she pulls her cloak a little tighter, turns, and takes a step.

Then she sees a flicker of movement from the corner of her eye. She has her blades drawn in an instant, poised in a defensive stance, expecting Viren to step out of the shadows.

Instead, she finds Soren.

He has his arms crossed in front of his chest as he leans against a tree, his eyes downcast.

“He’ll follow you,” he says softly. His voice barely carries in the cold, windless air, and for a moment, she isn’t sure if he had really said anything at all. 

She sheathes her blades, but doesn’t relax. “No, he won’t. He-he doesn’t know where I’m going and-and I left him a letter. He’ll understand.”

“He’ll follow you,” he repeats. Soren meets her eyes this time. He still doesn’t move. 

“Maybe,” Rayla mumbles. She plays with the hood of her cloak. “You’ll have to stop him if he does.”

Soren says nothing, so she asks, “How did you know?”

There’s a beat, and then two, before he finally answers. “Because I understand. I understand not _knowing_ ,” he says quietly. “And I understand you’re scared of losing him.”

Soren clenches his fist as he continues, “But Rayla, you’re the love of his life. I see it in his eyes everyday. He’d sooner give up magic than risk losing you.”

“I-“

But Soren is stepping toward her now. “I just…I don’t understand. I don’t see how this helps. I thought you loved him.”

His words cut through the silence of the night and ring clearly in her ears. She senses anger in his voice and the accusation _almost_ makes her flinch, but it's because of the disappointment that she _does_.

“I do!” Rayla starts, then lowers her voice to a hiss. “Of course I love him. More than I can bear. But I’ve lost everyone, Soren! Everyone but him. And if-if I lose him, I-“ she chokes, unable to finish that thought. “I can’t lose him. This is the only way.”

Soren shakes his head. “Are you sure you’re making the right choice?”

She hesitates. “No,” she whispers. Or sobs. She doesn’t know. The cold seeps into her bones and she wills herself into numbness. “But I have to go.”

“Then I won’t stop you.” He pulls her into a tight hug for a long moment. When he pulls away, his shirt is stained with tears she hadn’t noticed falling. “I swear if you get killed before we get to spar again-“

Her breath turns into a hollow laugh, catching her mid-sob. At last she wipes at her tears. “Bye, Soren.”

She turns and pushes past him before she has the chance to hesitate again, before she wavers and runs back to Callum and probably never leave again.

She starts running.

She runs to chase Viren, to keep the shadows and spectres from Callum.

She runs as far as her legs would take her. She runs until she has hardly any breath left.

Tears blind her, but she runs.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit:
> 
> The last line was originally, “She runs like the coward that she was.”, but I removed it for more impact on the tears. Does the ending work better with or without it?
> 
> A/N:  
> 
> 
> I don’t even read angst all that much, and now I write it? God, who am I?
> 
> If you’re looking for someone to blame, blame @Jelly. I know I do.
> 
> Process notes:  
> 
> 
> 1\. Just needed to write this (and god did it hurt to write) to get the angst out of my system, like Dumbledore extracting memories into the Pensieve - except with a lot more tears. 
> 
> Been wanting to try third person present POV anyway and this was a good chance to practice. Plus, I'm still learning how to set the mood with word choice and imagery, so there's that, too.
> 
> 2\. Confession time! I actually haven't read TTM, but I can sort of guess what happens based on the fandom's reactions, so I think this is technically an AU? 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Now suffer with me.


End file.
